The year 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations. This
milestone owes its achievement to the time-tested, deep rooted and trust driven
engagements between the two governments since the year 1951, when both countries
formally established their diplomatic ties. Over the years, this relationship witnessed an
ever increasing warmth and diversification. On 2nd March 1965, President Ayub Khan
visited China and it was the first visit by any of the Pakistani President which
demonstrated the change in Pakistan’s foreign policy in the 60's and afterwards almost
all the Presidents visited China. Pakistan International Airlines was the first noncommunist airline to fly to the People's Republic of China on April 30, 1964. Karakoram
Friendship Highway
was inaugurated in 1978. Hundreds of the Chinese and Pakistani workers sacrificed their
lives and have built this Road of China-Pakistan Friendship with their blood. In addition
to the government-to-government ties, the way both countries cemented their people-topeople ties is unprecedented and a model for the countries to follow. The major impetus
for the increased connectivity was given by the CPEC which gained momentum after the
visit of President Xi Jinping to Pakistan in 2015. With the initiation of CPEC, Chinese
Language Learning is a crucial skill set required for the Pakistani populace to benefit from
the career opportunities. Pakistan ranks third in the number of international students
currently studying in China with over 28,000 students. Moreover, the embassies of both
countries in coordination with the relevant
stakeholders in respective countries hold cultural galas, essay competitions, and
exchange programs. Apart from people-to-people linkages, the CPEC, which is the
flagship project of the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, is also empowering women and
educating children in underdeveloped areas. Moreover, Preparing youth for jobs in
CPEC projects through the clusters of Tech Institutes around Special economic Zones is
now the top priority of both governments. The magnitude of the resilience of CPEC can
be gauged from the fact that even the global pandemic like COVID-19 couldn’t derail it,
instead, it got rejuvenated with the signing of over 11 billion dollars worth of new projects
in 2020 and inauguration of projects. The first Phase of CPEC addressed
Pakistan’s infrastructure and energy woes and now, the second phase is set to initiate an
era of industrialization with the establishment of three special economic zones which are
Rashakai, Dhabeji, and Allama Iqbal Industrial City. The year 2020 also marked the start
of Afghan Transit Trade which is set to upgrade socioeconomic status of the region. The
high level engagements between the two countries have also got a significant boost in
the recent year. The COVID-19 pandemic was yet another test of this resilient relationship
and fortunately, the bilateral ties further strengthened during the pandemic. Pakistan
provided moral, diplomatic, and medical support to China when the latter was fighting
pandemic at home. President Alvi’s visit to China in March 2020 stamped on the fact that
China had successfully contained COVID-19 under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.
The Senate of Pakistan passed two resolutions in this regard, first was sponsored by
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed to express solidarity with China in its fight against
Coronavirus and second was sponsored by ----to thank China for its support to Pakistan
during the pandemic. Pakistan-China relations are witnessing new heights under the
leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has visited China three times since he
came to power and reiterated his commitment to learn from Chinese experiences in
various fields like poverty alleviation, agriculture, and industry.